Spring Street

Spring Street is a street in the Lower Manhattan section of New York City, running from West Street in the west to the Bowery in the east. In 1803, Spring Street was built through a rural, hilly, and wooded section of Manhattan which had been home to Aaron Burr's estate during the 1790s, and the street was widened to 65 feet in 1805. It was named Brannon Street until 1806, when it was renamed after a freshwater spring which ran through Lispenard's Meadow on Broadway, and the stream continues to run underground and even floods basements. In 1834, several anti-black Irish Catholic race rioters destroyed the Spring Street Presbyterian Church, which had been supportive of abolitionism, but a new Gothic Revival church was built on the site in 1836, standing on the site until the 1960s. During the early 20th century, Spring Street saw several drunken quarrels. Today, it is known for its artists' lofts, restaurants, trendy and high-end boutiques, and cast-iron buildings.